Cult Red Burgundy
2000 Engel Clos de Vougeot
When it comes to soulful and decidedly individual Red Burgundy, few wines stand out more than Engels.
Simply put, there is nothing like them.
Each time I taste an Engel wine, I'm deeply, deeply moved. For me, they represent everything that's mysterious and beautiful in Burgundy. They also serve as a painful reminder of how fleeting beauty can be.
Engel's last vintage was 2004. And since then the wines have assumed a cult status. The easy comparisons are with names like Jacky Truchot, Henri Jayer, Gentaz-Dervieux and Verset.
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Like those just mentioned, Engel's wines have become cherished and excruciatingly rare. People who own the wines from back in the day don't let go of them. Being able to offer an Engel Grand Cru is a real coup. I'm almost positive that we'll have to allocate severely.
And like Gentaz, Verset and Truchot, Engel's style harkens back to the old ways of winemaking that were more based on personal intuition than streamlined technical know-how. I love many of today's Burgundies, but compared to Engel they do seem somewhat airbrushed.
Engel's wines possess an edge, a characterful rusticity that never undermines the wines' breeding and mysterious depths. It's one of the qualities that really endear the wines to me. The wines thrive on a subtlety; they are quiet wines yet they deliver plenty of flavor intensity and complexity.
I'm very happy to be able to offer the 2000 vintage. For the past three or four years, the 2000s have reached a beautiful, delicious point of their evolution. The wines are juicy, but showing plenty of structure and savory earthy, mineral tones. The 2000 Clos de Vougeot is a glorious example of Engel's style.
While Clos de Vougeot is a very large Grand Cru whose wines can fall short of Grand Cru standards, people who are familiar with those of Leroy and Mugneret-Gibourg know very well how impressive Clos de Vougeot can be. It's fair to say that Engel's Clos de Vougeot is one of the greats and shows all the texture and exotic spices of this Grand Cru at its best.
I'm very happy to be able to offer Engel's 2000 Clos de Vougeot. This is a special wine that's absolutely singular. Please give us your ideal order and we'll do our best.
To order, reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits